You may have noticed a few changes to our website and product offerings lately. Foremost among them is the new Deluxe Strop.

Until recently, Portland Razor Co strops began with undyed and untreated veg-tanned cow side. We cut it to shape, dyed, oiled, and glass-burnished it all by hand before assembly. While this process assured the absolute highest standard of quality and performance in our strops, it was also very time-consuming.

In our pursuit of a better strop, we turned to the American tanneries from which we source our leather. Most of our leather comes from Hermann Oak Leather, a tannery which has been in business under several iterations since 1881! They turned us on to English bridle leather which has been treated and dyed in the English style, giving it an ultra-smooth consistency perfect for stropping. It is considered by many to be a superior strop leather and now we know why: it is supple and smooth with a light draw that breaks in well over time.

Buying leather which has already been professionally treated and dyed at the tannery has a few key benefits. First, it is a huge time saver for us. Second, we find that more of the hide is free of troublesome blemishes, resulting in less waste. It has very similar characteristics to our original Deluxe Strop leather and can be further conditioned with neatsfoot oil. We will be rolling out new color options in the coming weeks!

English bridle leather is more expensive, but it looks great, saves time, and makes an exceptional and functional strop. Taking all that into account, we knew that the only fair thing to do was offer the new English bridle strop at the same price as the original Deluxe Strop. Customers with outstanding strop orders will receive the new Deluxe Strop in English bridle leather, and customers who already have strops can purchase individual panels if they want to make the change. If you have any additional questions regarding the changes to our products, please feel free to email us.